About the Show

The touring life ain’t easy, but we polled the pros for their tips on surviving the ultimate road trip on a national tour. These actors have mastered the art of the bus-and-truck lifestyle. This edition of Road Rules features Lee Ferris, who plays Carl Perkins in the national tour of Million Dollar Quartet. Ferris filled out our questionnaire and shared his tips for mastering the road.

The quickest way to make a hotel room feel homey:
I travel with Christmas lights in my suitcase and I string them up around my hotel room right when I check in. The lighting in hotels can be atrocious, so a little warm glow of Christmas lights makes me feel a little more at home.

My method of staying fit while traveling is:
The show keeps me pretty fit, but I go to the hotel fitness center at least three times a week for light weight lifting, medicine ball training, cardio and good old-fashioned calisthenics. I do pushups before every show because I find this is as effective as a cup of coffee for making me alert before I perform. Eating healthily is the biggest challenge on the road because the majority of hotels don't have kitchens or refrigerators and we're forced to eat out often. But I try to find oatmeal in the morning in most towns and this is the best possible start for me.

The fantasy vehicle I wish I could travel from city to city in:
I would like to invent a form of travel where I was placed in a bed-like capsule with powder blue sheets covering me from head to toe, to be given classical music to listen to on gigantic noise-canceling headphones and shot through an underground tube while placed under heavy sedation until I arrived blissfully at the door of my hotel room. That is my travel fantasy.
The best way to blend in a new city is:
I don't find blending in to be my objective; I like being a tourist. If I am upfront with the locals that I don't know where anything is, then I usually get the low down on the cool spots in town.

My most unexpected travel experience happened…
In Pittsburgh. I was window-shopping in this hat store and decided to purchase a new chapeau. I asked to try on a hat and the shop owner's response was,"You cannot try the hat on unless you are going to buy it. It’s Pennsylvania state law." I looked at her with utter disbelief. "What do you mean I can't try on a hat without buying it?" I was stupefied. "Do you ever sell any hats in here?" I asked. Her only response was, "Pennsylvania state law." This was all very unexpected to me.

See Ferris and the rest of the quartet when Million Dollar Quartet arrives in Salt Lake City from May 29 through June 3.